Crate, basket, and similar container



Aug. 11, 1936. E'KRAUGER 2,050,342

CRATE, BASKET, AND SIMILAR CONTAINER Filed Sept. 12, 1954 Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CRATE, BASKET, iAN D SIMILAR CONTAINER 1 Claim.

My: invention resides in improvements in the slats are secured by any approved manner to.the

-bottom-of-thecontainer. Close observation of these containers over'a period of time has revealed that they are more likely to and do suffer damageor breakage when not employed to carry loads than when loaded. This 'is thus explained. When containing loads thecontainers are handled with considerable care in order tov avoid damaging the loads, while'when emptythere is atendency toward'carelessness in handling the-containers, as, for instance, throwing 20p them from vehicles, piling heavy articles on them,---andso-forth. Thistends to show that 1 thegreatestforce toward'destruction of the containers originates exteriorly thereof. In other words, the destructive force is not expansive as a result of heavy loads carried by the containers, as heretofore thought, but is contractive, or a crushing force from without the basket or container.

With the foregoing in view, I have provided a 30 basket or container embodying improved construction which greatly increases the ability of these articles to withstand exterior destructive forces which have operated to either collapse such containers or to tear the staves or slats 35 from the main hoop. To this end my invention consists in providing an interior hoop, a hoop within the basket, to which the staves or slats are secured by weaving wire about both the outer faces of the slats and the hoop. This hoop is 40 substantially constructed in order to withstand inwardly directed strains or destructive forces. The hoop is placed proximate the top of the staves where it is in position to adequately support the staves, as when the container is thrown 45 to alight upon the top portions of the staves. The bottoms of the staves are of course suitably secured to the bottom of the container which protects that portion thereof.

In addition to the invention residing in the 50 foregoing construction, it also resides in an improved hoop construction. In this particular, wire hoops are employed, and for this purpose lengths of wire are employed which are formed into loops, the ends of the lengths being tied, 55 looped or otherwise secured together to provide the hoop. Mysinvention in. this particular. consists in an. improved. construction for securing theends of the .wire lengths'together. This. construction pro'vides. an expeditious means for securing the. endsofJthe wire lengths'together, 5 at the same time providing a hoop .whicnwill adequately: resist contraction .and expansion.

A; more complete understanding of? the. invention,lits construction and purposes, be gained upon reading. the accompanying :description, aided .by: the drawing wherein- Figure'l isoan elevation'of a container employing: my improvements in construction.

Figure 2 .is a fragmentary rearelevation ,of one side of thecontainer or basket. shown in= Figure 1. This View .isan enlargement relative to the precedingiview.

Figure-3 is .a perspective .ora stave or slat employed inthe container shown in .Figure:1. This figure also illustratesin partialsection. the. construction of the sustaining. loop, especially the construction relating to the manner in which the ends of the member of which it is formed are secured to one another.

Figure 4 is a perspective of a modification of the sustaining hoop construction.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of one side of the container or basket.

While the description following is directed to baskets or similar containers, it is to be understood that it is equally applicable to other articles, such as barrels, chicken-coops and other open-work structures adapted for shipping produce, fowls and so forth. In this connection the invention is employed in connection with the container I, which may be referred to as a basket. This basket is composed of spaced slats 3, bottom 4, sustaining hoop 5 and tie wire 6. The slats are secured to the bottom 3 by any approved means. As will be seen the hoop 5 is placed interiorly of the container, close to the top of the slats 3 so that the inner faces 3" bear against such hoop. Holding the slats against the hoop is the tie wire 6. This wraps about the portions of the hoop situated in the spacings between the staves, then extends about the outer face 3 of each stave to again wrap around the hoop. Thus the upper end of each stave or slat is secured between the tie wire and the sustaining hoop.

Hoop 5 consists of a length of suitable material formed into a loop. The end portions 5' of the loop, or to be more exact the hoop 5, overlap as shown in Figure 2, and these end portions terminate in wedge grips 5" formed by downward and upward turned portions, or upward and downward turned portions, 1 and 8 respectively, according in which direction the first bend l is directed. The bending of the ends is to provide a substantially V-shaped or wedge-shaped crotch 9. The overlapping portions of the hoop 5 are held together by the wrapping 6 of the tire wire 6. In this connection the tie wire can commence here by being first wrapped about one of the portions 5' and then extending around the container to secure the slats to the hoop 5 and finish by Wrapping the wrap 6' about the two end portions 5'.

In this position the crotches 9 grip the body portions of the hoop preventing it from contracting or expanding. Previous to uniting the end portions 5 as set forth they may be bent slightly to provide a respringing action which will urge the crotches to grip the hoop 5. Furthermore the wrapping 6 aids in causing the crotches 9 to grip the overlapped portions of the hoop.

A modification of the hoop structure is shown in Figure 4. In this instance the loop 10 is substitutedfor the wedge grip 5". This consists of down and up turned portions I and I0" which slip each side of and seat in grooves or notches I I cut in the hoop material.

In addition to the hereinbefore enumerated construction, the container I can be provided with the bracing members l2 and an outer strengthening hoop l3 to aid in sustaining a load.

In viewing Figure 2, it will be seen that one of the end portions 5 is wrapped by the wire 6 and that the other end portion 5' rests upon this wrap and is held in position by the wrapping 6. This relationship spaces the two end portions some- 5 what from each other causing the end portions to be sprung somewhat in order that the crotches 9 may be slipped over the body portion of the hoop 5. Thus it will be seen that the spring action in the hoop member will continually urge the 10 crotches to clamp the hoop, gripping it firmly and preventing contraction or expansion of the hoop.

The wedge grips 5" for connecting the ends of the hoop 5 will be found superior to the usual practice of looping the ends when it is considered that such loops have a tendency to slip thus either expanding or contracting the hoop. In the present construction the wedge grips 5" securely grip the loop body, effectively resisting expansion or contraction thereof. Furthermore the wedge grips are considerably ,easier and less expensive to manufacture than are the loop type of con-.

nections. 7

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I-Iaving described my invention, I claim- In a basket embodying a bottom, spaced slat sides, aninner sustaining hoop and the tie wire woven about the slats and hoop to secure slats to hoop, the structure of such sustaining hoop which cofnprises a coil member having overlapping end portions terminating in preformed, wedge crotches which grip the overlapped portions of the hoop and secure the hoop against contraction or expansion, and a tie wire wrapped about the overlapping sections holding the 

